2016 Daterra Viticultores (Laura Lorenzo) “Casas de Enriba” Vino Tinto, Valdeorras, Spain.
Coming from 20-25 year old vines in the Portomourisco region of Valdeorras, not far from the steep valleys of the Ribeiro Sacra, the new Laura Lorenzo Casas de Enriba is a blend of all hand farmed organic 80% Mencia, the native red varietal and 20% Godello, a local white grape grown on a mix of granite, gravel, clay, gneiss and quartz soils at about 550 meters up in this cool climate Galician site, it’s a glorious natural and balanced feeling wine (13.5%) with soulful character and rustic charms. Lorenzo is a remarkable winegrower and her wines are simply delicious and wonderfully expressive in terroir and impressive for layering and finesse that freely expresses in her latest offerings, especially this native ferment red, she destemmed all the grapes and added 20% Godello to add freshness to the warm vintage and it makes for an inspired medium weighted Mencia based wine that can easily remind you of the Syrah and Viognier relationship found in Cote-Rotie, and while personality wise this Casas de Enriba is more like a Cru Beaujolais (light and expressive) at first it picks up a more serious Rhone edged profile with air, making an end result a bottling that is between Dutraive’s Fleurie and Andre Perrets Saint-Joseph! The nose is sweetly perfumed with rose oil and violets, wild peppercorns, chanterelles, red fruits, mixed spice, mineral candied orange rind, a saline element and sweet and sour minty herbs that leads to a medium bodied palate of black cherry, plum and lingonberry fruits as well as loamy/flinty rock, bacon fat, star anise and pipe tobacco. This is fascinating stuff the has a wonderful silky mouth feel, but with earthy/leathery grip and energy that kinda makes you think of Nuits-Saint-Georges, it’s a wine that will certainly challenge and seduce those that want to take a path less traveled, it’s so far my favorite of Lorenzo’s 2016’s, which is saying something, because I love all of her wines!
($30 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive

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